Oh ya. gotta agree. I used to say I don't play games. No looking back it's ALL A GAME !
ENJOY the RIDE.... whatever...

 

I met my girlfriend while we were in college. We both started college in March 2009 and I took her on a date the first week. She had never been on a Motorcycle before and needless to say she loved it!! (even after her second ever ride we got ran over by a car that left me with life threatening and permanent injuries). Now we are moving in together and have a child on the way in 7 months. I credit it to my boyish charm and the extemely loud and good looking Harley i own. Hahahaha!!!

You just gotta break her of the ZZ top looking grungy outlaw biker stereotype. ONE ride and she will wonder why she never rode on a Harley before...

 

remember that old saying it aint how fast you can finish*crotch rocket*, but how long you can enjoy the ride for *harley*

 

I agree. Ignore the girl and she will be after you. Then, offer to take her for a ride. That should seal the deal. If not, then she isn't worth the effort. Plenty more wimmens around. Know what I mean, Vern??

 

Here may be another example of the younger "new suits" at the Moco screwing up.

Harley has been basically selling the same bike since the first Knucklehead and it's loud, gives up form for function, and is very masculine looking. And that basic deal still works and it always will. But these new bean counters are experiencing a dip in sales, like a hundred other downturns Harley survived just fine, but they are young (where's my millions?) business majors and they are panicking.

So they actually came right out and publicly said, "We aren't keeping up with what young people want, so we have to change." And that's exactly where this woman indirectly got the idea she expressed to you. The newer executives at Harley are creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

No matter what you ride, or if you don't ride at all, and even if you can't admit it, an idling Harley (those with carbs)) and that first ride on one, will raise your heartbeat unless you are brain dead. But not only is Harley starting to throw in the towel, they are creating divisions inside the ranks of die hard fans. In the day you basically had only limited choices and except for the Sportsters they were all basically the same machines. They were blank canvases we could make magic with. Some stayed stock, some became outlandish dressers, some got chopped down into bobbers, and some received the custom long bike look.

Hey Harley, you can't make "new" look "old" and have it work (the Crossbones?)

And that's why this truck works . . .


And this truck doesn't . . .


Okay sure, markets and the taste that drive them change over time. But if you a have a proven sure fire winner that you believe in you don't chase those things. It's an old saw now but does anyone remember the disaster that was "New Coke?"

Harley does have one formidable problem though. A large percentage of today's younger men would be lost if not for a Jiffy Lube on the corner to change the oil in their cars. They just aren't natural mechanical tinkerers like past generations. So while it might sound counter intuitive to shop profit - dealers should be open one night a week and hold free classes on doing the simple things. And they have to back way off the crap that your own mods/service void warranties. The money they'd lose fixing screw ups they'd get back ten-fold in out right sales and loyalty.

Another thing Harley is fighting is their marketing is all wrong.

To us older guys the thought of pulling up next to a cager family wagon and when the husband's not looking a bored housewife will flash me her **** doesn't work for me - okay maybe that was a bad example, because that does work for me.

But overall the Harley adverts I see are fairly juvenile, even condescending. Get off selling a lifestyle that's chasing the "thug" craze. Those big flat billed caps looked good on James Cagney in those 1930 prison movies, but it looks like **** on you! But to be fair the newest stuff I do see from the Moco shows riders in full face helmets and proper riding clothing, but that's wrong too. They need to hit somewhere more in the middle. The ads need somewhat of an edge to them.

On that same subject, and it's a touchy one, is the term "poser." I never use it outside of maybe ribbing a good friend. But if someone is successful in life and can afford a new store bought Harley and likes to dress up in full leather on the weekends that's fine with me. But being a true outlaw type is like being Gay, you are born to it or not, it's already in you or it isn't. So in a way Harley is selling a myth, a myth that may not be sustainable because we aren't raising up young revolutionary types these days. We are raising young conservatives whose mamas drove them to school every day.

And how about the TV shows. The ones like OCC, the Detroit Bros (or whatever that is) and to some extent even Jesse James (who I do respect as a builder) pretty much make us look like cavemen at best and idiots at worst.

But now let's look at the sport bike side of marketing and shows "Super Bikes." The host is engaging, intelligent, and while "stunting" isn't my thing I can't just flip through when switching channels because they look like they are having so much fun! And at the risk of weakening my "young guys aren't mechanical argument" these sport bikers are indeed heavily modifying their rides.

So Harley please **** can the "dark look" (oh, I'm so scared!) and the abortion that's the "Rocker" (see, there's that division in the ranks) and go with the surefire premise that when tastes change , and they always do, there will still be a Moco. So, in that regard, I think your next ad campaign should revolve around, "This IS Your Grandfather's Harley!"

Sorry for this sounding so ranty, and probably nonsensical too, but I just had three teeth pulled and I'm sitting here full of pain killers and I got what we used to call a red's attitude . . .

 

Absolutely, Stewie took that advice from Quagmire and it worked for him.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickD

Here may be another example of the younger "new suits" at the Moco screwing up.

Could someone please give me a synopsis of this. Oh wait, I think I have it. Another "Harley is gonna fold" rant. What does this have to do with the OP and the girl?

To the OP, time is on your side, young man. Don't let the girl **** you off. One ride is all it will take.

 

Only the finest chicks like crotch rockets

 

She was playing hard to get...

Ignore her, it'll drive her crazy...every woman thinks that every guy wants them.

 

You should have told her you ride a Milwaukee vibrator..... She woulda jumped on it in a second.